Contents

Background

Physical appearance

He is a slender young man with fair skin, black hair with gray and brown highlights plus one light blue streak, freckles, two front buck teeth, and gray-blue eyes. He wears a gray-ish green shirt with a green patch sewn on to it, brown pants, dark brown apron, black gloves, dark brown shoes, and brown and gold goggles.

When Rapunzel and Cassandra first met him, he was wearing a black and gray coat and a gray bauta, which makes his eyes appear to be glowing a yellow-green color and makes his voice sound intimidating.

History

In What the Hair?!, Cassandra offers to enlist Varian's help in solving the mystery of Rapunzel's hair. At first, he was thought of as a wizard with magical abilities. But Rapunzel and Cassandra learned that Varian is actually an alchemist who doesn't believe in magic but is a man of science. At the same time, he reveals that he's a huge fan of Flynnigan Rider, confusing Eugene as him, and willingly told Eugene that he has been working on a machine that will give his village hot running water. However, he fails to realize that his creations are unstable and causing a lot of earthquakes from beneath his village, resulting in all his work blowing up.

In Great Expotations, where he comes to the Exposition of Sciences event with his latest invention. He had just considered Cassandra as his friend as he calls her "Cassy" and is willing to help her with her duties as Lady-in-waiting in exchange for having her help him with his invention as his assistant. He also apparently has a crush on her from the way he asks Rapunzel and Eugene if Cassandra is going to be at the event when he presents his new invention. He uses alchemy to help Cassandra clean up the castle and set up the event. He also showed Rapunzel and Cassandra the black, spiky rocks, which had grown near Old Corona and shows an reaction when Rapunzel stands near them. Rapunzel asks Varian to help them figure the mystery of the rocks and keep it a secret, to which he agrees.

In Queen for a Day, the black rocks start growing and destroying everything, Varian wants to find a way to stop them from destroying anything else, but Quirin tells him to stay away from them. Varian then went with his father to see the King to tell him of the situation. Upset when his father instead lies to the king about the rocks, Varian tells Rapunzel the truth. He then decides to take matters in his own hands and works on find a way to remove the rocks with alchemy. When Quirin finds out what Varian was doing, Varian admonishes him for trying to run away from their problems. But then, Quirin pushes Varian away from being trapped in a growing crystal, made by one of Varian's attempts on using a chemical on the rocks. Varian runs to Rapunzel to get her help but, with her people in the crisis of the upcoming snowstorm, she reluctantly turns her back on him and lets him be dragged out by Pete and Stan. Varian returns home and finds his father frozen in solid crystal. In tears, he vows to find a way to save him and, feeling betrayed by Rapunzel's refusal to help him, make everyone who turned their backs on him pay.

In The Alchemist Returns, he seemingly (pretends to) forgive her and convinces Rapunzel to help him steal the Magical Golden Flower. Rapunzel agrees to help him only because he said "it was for Corona". He later confesses that he used Rapunzel to get to the flower, and he only did this to save his dad and not the kingdom. This was part of his revenge on everyone who turned their backs on him. Rapunzel pleaded with him to let her help him and promises to free his father. For a moment, Varian regretted his actions and considers trusting but before he heard the door being opened, he suddenly remembers that Rapunzel refused before in Queen for a Day which made him change his mind and proclaimed he no longer trusted Rapunzel, believing she can’t keep promises. He then escapes in a purple cloud of fog. Rapunzel is heartbroken, now that she realizes she was used by Varian whom she trusted deeply. Later, in his alchemist lab, Varian tries to free his father from the rocks with the flower, but it does not work, much to his anger and frustration. Remembering back from his conversations about the black rocks and the flower, he then realizes the heart-throbbing truth: the flower was not the Sundrop anymore, Rapunzel was.

In Secret of the Sun Drop, launching an assault on the castle with a hidden automaton amongst Rapunzel's birthday gifts. Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Eugene quickly find out how to deactivate the automaton, but the surprise assault leaves King Frederic fearing for Rapunzel's safety, ordering her to be under maximum security. The same night, Varian once again launches another assault on the kingdom, this time facing a giant and aggressive Rudiger under influence of a serum. The guards successfully protect Rapunzel (who had broken out of the castle) from harm, and Rapunzel in hand assists the guards to eventually capture Rudiger, who returns to his normal size after being captured in Rapunzel's hair. Unfortunately, the attack turned out to be a distraction, letting Varian easily infiltrate the castle and kidnap Queen Arianna, but not before leaving half of the guards (including the captain) wounded after the attack and the kingdom terrified over the black rocks growing all over the kingdom. After the kingdom realizes what had happened, a full-scale counterattack on Old Corona, now surrounded in black rocks, is organized. Rapunzel and King Frederic decide to sneak in to Varian's home separate from the kingdom army to sneak out the queen. Unfortunately, Varian had planned ahead, and traps Rapunzel and the king, while launching an army of automatons on the kingdom's forces. Varian reveals his plot of kidnapping the queen as simple bait to bring Rapunzel to him. Varian threatens to incase Queen Arianna in the same crystal his father was trapped in if Rapunzel didn't give him her hair to free his father. Much to Varian's heartbreak, Rapunzel's hair doesn't work against the crystal, and the kingdom's forces defeat the automatons. Varian's plan failed, Rudiger and Pascal use Varian's chemicals to free the king, who frees Queen Arianna. Varian, devastated that he no longer knew how to save his father anymore, lashes out his anger on Rapunzel by controlling a giant robot, bent on still having revenge on Rapunzel. He grabs Cassandra and Queen Arianna in the robot's metal hands and starts to crush them. In a moment of revelation, Rapunzel realizes how her sun drop energy can control the black rocks. Varian violently charges toward Rapunzel in anger, only to get his robot destroyed by Rapunzel through the black rocks.

Defeated, Varian is arrested by the castle guard. However, under Rapunzel's urge, the king assures Varian will get the help he needs. Varian, as he gets taken away, swears that he will still make his father proud.

Quotes

"And then I said, I AM Varian! *snort*”

“We can be, like, co-ladies in waiting~”

“And when I return, and I’m more than you’d dreamt I’d be, maybe then you will realize that you never ACTUALLY knew me at all.”

“You promised! You promised you’d help me!”

”D-Dad! DADDY, NO!”

“They. Will. Pay.”

"Stop running, Rapunzel. Face your destiny, or all you hold in your heart will be in grave danger!"

"Sorry, Princess!! We were in this together, but if I can't have a happy ending than neither can you!!"

"It's not enough until you have endured the amount of pain and agony I have!!"

"I will make you proud of me, dad. If it's the last thing I ever do!!!!"

Trivia

According to the first book in the Tales of Rapunzel series, Secrets Unlocked, Varian is canonically fourteen years old.

In his original design that was made by Shane Prigmore, he seemed to have red hair and a separation in the front teeth, also did not wear glasses on his head and did not have the blue streak in the hair.

His name is of Latin American origin and means "variable"

It was confirmed in the episode Great Expotations officially that he has a crush in Cassandra.

Despite already taking off and putting on the glasses he did not take off his gloves at any point in the first season.

He was the first character to bled in the series already in the first episode What the Hair? after hitting his head on a magnifying glass.

He is a fan of Flynn Rider, despite storing things and confusing him with Eugene, he has already read all the books about him.

He may be a joke with what people think about alchemy as he is mistaken for a wizard by Rapunzel and Cassandra in the first episode. And some people think the alchemists were some sort of sorcerer. Another thing that proves this is the fact that Varian does not believe in magic at the beginning of the series.

He was the first supporting character to have a solo song, which was Let Me Make You Proud in Queen for a Day.

He was confirmed to return in the second season of the series, because his name is in the main voice cast of the season.(citation needed)